Dude I’m totally a bored eater…or an over eater. Actually I’m totally triggering my overeating tendencies by eating sugar. Today I found these amazing like sugar covered peanuts. Then it just went down from there, I love sugar so much I just don’t know how to go around it! At least I am not being an alcoholic so that is good. I have not had a drink in 2 weeks, and I have not been drunk in 3! I just don’t think I am going to drink anymore while I’m here. Or at least not until I get my tattoo. (I’m so excited for my tattoo!)

Today when I was looking in the art gallery in the area there was this nice old dog in the store visiting with some people. Her name was Annie and she was fourteen years old, and when I went to pet her after letting her smell me she immediately shook my hand which was nice. She was a really nice cute dog, made me miss Lucy dog! Before that I went into a little crafty store and bought some bobby pins that have decorations on them for my hair (when it gets a bit longer) and I bought this one really sweet pin that was on a really old post card written on January 9th 1913.

I believe it came from the USA, due to a stamp being from the USA for 1 cent. It was addressed to a J.R Higgins Saq. In Winnipeg (Canada in case you don’t know for some reason). The letter says: “Dlear[sic] Rus. It is raining today looks more like home this is the first rain I have seen it has rained (I think it says –here) before (something I can’t make out) the night. Onto (I think is says -lives) Yours Lovingly (I think it says –Jaci.).” So that is basically what I can make out from the tiny handwriting. On the front of the post card it reads ‘H(the h is a nice fancy dressed up letter like you see on the first letter in scrolls)ere’s a little message for your eye alone I am thinking of you always tho far away from home.’ It’s so freaking cool, the tag on it says in English 1910’S German Post Card Vitage[sic] Swarovski. It cost me 23$ but that’s okay because I got a really nice pin that the Swarovski company makes. I think I am going to frame it when I get home. I was first intrigued by the nice little bobby pin/what the post card said but when I flipped it over and read what the person wrote. It seems just so metaphorical to me. I felt touched like I knew the person, and I suppose that it was sent to Canada (from what I assume was the USA because it has a postage stamp from there). Oh it’s so cool!

Other then that Mino was beautiful and I felt ways more comfortable then I have felt in a really long time getting to walk in a beautiful forest off “the mainstream cement beaten track” although the main path was cement. It reminded me somewhat of nelson but with less buildings and such going up the actual mountain. Also once you keep on walking a pit higher off until the top where there is a road there is a hiking trail! I made Michelle come up with me most of the way but then she said I could carry on and I did. When I reached the top, I noticed there were a couple more paths that one could go hiking on so I totally want to go back there with someone when they come and visit me and go hiking. Don’t worry its not that intense. On the top of that path there was a look out post, so I climbed the stairs excited to see more wide open land…nothing but forest! Reality checked in though when I gazed upon endless urban sprawl. Tear* I thought I was far out in the forest when realistically in the distance through the haze you can see giant sky scrappers and planes coming in for landings…endless city. I figure maybe if we climbed up the other mountains there would be forest. I did not see a path going the other way but when I go back I am going to find out. I hope I would be disgustedly disappointed. It severely made me miss Canada. When I come home someone please take me up a mountain so I can see endless forest again and breathe a sigh of relief.

As well on Monday I got to join this man named Sadamune Yuto who works at the university and speaks very good English (that little boy that I have a photo of in one of my Kyoto albums, the one I went on a tour with, well that is his son). He invited me to come out with his class who he is teaching to become English teachers from what I understand. We went out to a small garden close by that they tend to, because it shows good care just like how one needs to tend children’s needs. That was the motive behind it, anyways I helped fertilize STRAWBERRIES~! Yummy, so he said in May I can come around anytime I want and eat them…ha-ha…he should have never said that too me! As well for helping out I received a giant Japanese radish, so that was good. I hope I can go out with them again, I really enjoyed gardening. Odd that you can garden in December, ha-ha for me anyways! Well that is what has been going on lately so I will talk to you all later, I hope people are reading this…otherwise it is pointless almost for me to write this. Anyway…I Love you all!